The 2026 NBA Draft is underway — taking place over two days — and The Athletic’s draft expert Sam Vecenie and front-office insider John Hollinger are analyzing each pick as it happens.
Explore Vecenie’s scouting summary from the 2026 NBA Draft Guide, Hollinger’s team fit and more below.
1. Washington Wizards
AJ Dybantsa | 6-9 | 19 years old
Dybantsa has better physical tools entering the NBA than any wing I’ve seen in a while. His ability to play with elite bend mixed with explosiveness allows him to consistently get into the teeth of the defense as a straight-line driver. In transition, he’s an absolute menace. His nose for the foul line is second to none in this draft class with his polished footwork and gathers. That’s what allowed him to be as monstrously productive as he was this season, averaging more than 25 points while shooting over 50 percent from the field. He is a historically notable scoring prospect as a big-time wing, and it helps that he showed major improvement as a shooter and passer this season after seemingly stagnating a bit in the year before he played at BYU.
However, the aspects of Dybantsa’s game beyond his scoring acumen are unpolished. He’s nowhere near as deficient a ballhandler as Ace Bailey as a big wing because of his ability to play with bend and drive, but he needs to tighten up with the ball to consistently make better passing reads. The strides were there this season, but to be a primary decision-maker in the NBA, the standard is almost impossibly high. Additionally, Dybantsa needs to show improvement on the defensive end, where his engagement and overall anticipation are not quite good enough.
Why AJ Dybantsa is the no. 1 prospect in this year’s NBA Draft
Sam Vecenie
But if we’re drafting for ceiling-level outcomes at the top of the draft, Dybantsa’s mix of unique athletic traits and proven scoring ability gives him the highest apex of all the prospects in the class. There’s no better blend of size, power, length, athleticism and skill in this class, and his overall feel for the game on offense is not poor. Dybantsa’s weaknesses are also more fixable than the weaknesses of other prospects at this size. You can improve his ability to handle the ball, and he has shown enough vision and problem-solving skills on the ball to believe he’s growing there. He’s not a completely negative defender with his size and length, and he won’t be attacked on that end even if he still needs to work through his anticipation issues.
There are outcomes here where Dybantsa averages 30 points and six assists in his prime, providing slightly above-average defense. That player who would be in the All-NBA picture and could even find himself in MVP discussions. Dybantsa’s floor in his prime is probably in the ballpark of what Jaylen Brown’s was before his 29-point-per-game breakout this season: a 22-point-per-game scorer who is switchable on defense but messy off the ball with some questionable moments as a ballhandler and passer. That’s still a player who provides borderline All-Star-level talent. Dybantsa is the best combination of upside and floor in the class, which is why he is my No. 1 player.
Hollinger’s analysis: I had Cameron Boozer ranked higher, but a lot of smart people I respect disagree with me, and Dybantsa’s fit between Trae Young and Anthony Davis is hard to deny. And if ultimately the choice was between Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, I thought Dybantsa was clearly the pick. I would give the Wizards a less flattering grade for Trae Young’s extension. Grade: B+
2. Utah Jazz
Darryn Peterson | 6-5 | 19 years old
Peterson was as complete a guard as I’ve evaluated entering college basketball in a long while. He’s an aggressive shot hunter on the court, and I love the way that he went about improving his passing ability out of ball screens. Until this season at Kansas, he had never stagnated, continually working his way up a steady trajectory to the top of his recruiting class.
But then he plateaued with the Jayhawks, and there is a case that he took a step back in some respects — especially as a passer and playmaker. How much of it was because of injury? How much of it was because of the situation around him at Kansas? How much of it was because college basketball was harder than high school? Peterson’s performance raised questions, especially in regard to his decision-making and ability to consistently get paint touches. However, it’s possible these issues go away once he gets into an NBA offensive scheme.
I’m buying into what I saw in Peterson in high school. It’s exceptionally hard to find players who are this creative, who can make shots at this level at such a young age and who have at least demonstrated the ability to pass and defend at some point, even if those skills have been inconsistent. Yes, there are questions that Peterson needs to answer for NBA teams. But the talent is the talent, and Peterson projects to be the kind of player who can dribble, pass, shoot, defend and think the game at a high level as long as his development goes well in the next two years.
Hollinger’s analysis: You don’t draft for fit this high, but man, it would have been tough to slot Cameron Boozer into this Utah frontcourt without making other moves. I wonder if the Jazz should have looked harder at trading down. I had Peterson fourth on my board, but he fits perfectly on this roster, and the other two guys I had ahead of him don’t. Grade: B
3. Memphis Grizzlies
Cameron Boozer | 6-8 | 18 years old
Boozer is one of the most statistically dominant players we’ve seen enter the NBA in a long time. He’s won at every single level and dominated with his play. He is multiskilled and incredibly versatile, which makes him exceptionally difficult to game plan for. As a scorer, he can beat you in ball screens both as a ballhandler and screener. He can beat you as a floor-spacing shooter. He can attack closeouts or he can post you up and score that way through his physicality. He has a brilliant basketball mind, passes incredibly well and understands how to put his teams into positive positions. I think he’s pretty close to a can’t-fail offensive prospect. I don’t see him as a Nikola Jokić-level processor of the game, and his lack of size compared to the Serbian star is an issue. However, I think the odds are that he’s above the level of Alperen Şengün, who has made two All-Star Games and been remarkably productive in the NBA.
Why Cameron Boozer produces and wins at every level
Sam Vecenie
The only reason I don’t have Boozer at No. 1 is that I think his skills play better as a No. 2 type of star in the NBA as opposed to a No. 1. The odds are somewhat high that teams will take advantage of Boozer defensively, even though he’s a sharp decision-maker and processor with good hands. Additionally, I worry about him creating advantages in the NBA versus simply being one of the best players in the NBA at taking advantage of situations created for him. Still, I don’t see a world in which Boozer isn’t at least an excellent starter with significant All-Star upside, unless the defense really becomes a problem if his body fills out even more. I’d bet a lot on his versatility making him a multi-time All-NBA player in terms of his production.
Hollinger’s analysis: The Grizzlies get the guy that I had No. 1, and they possibly might have had first as well. Boozer should be the first major building block for what is going to be a full teardown rebuilding project in Memphis, ahead of a likely trade of Ja Morant this summer. Grade: A
4. Chicago Bulls
Caleb Wilson | 6-9 | 19 years old
Wilson has huge upside athletically, which gives him an All-Star ceiling. His blend of power, explosiveness and coordination on his drives and transition gives him tools other players can’t match. When you combine that with his motor on offense and nose for the ball, it allows him to be remarkably productive. With further skill-based improvement, he has difference-making outcomes in his profile, similar to someone like Pascal Siakam, who has made multiple All-NBA teams.
But he could also become a great, productive four who doesn’t quite impact winning in the way you want if the skill level and defense don’t improve. He has a similar profile to John Collins as an athletic play-finishing big man if his defense and shot-creation skills don’t grow, though Wilson is more coordinated as a ballhandler and plays with quicker reactivity and twitch. Wilson could easily transition into more of a hybrid three/four wing if those pieces come along, or he could end up as more of an undersized four/five.
Wilson has serious upside, but he is more flawed than a few of the other elite players in the class. There are more pathways for him to become a good starter/rotation player than some of the others. His work ethic will tell the tale of what he becomes in the NBA. But if he’s willing to put in the right kind of work, the ceiling is remarkably high.
Hollinger’s analysis: The only logical pick after the top three names were off the board. Wilson has some positional overlaps with Matas Buzelis, the Bulls’ other best young player, but long term, they could be a towering pair of above-the-rim bookend forwards … as long as at least one of the two becomes a reliable shooter. Grade: A
5. LA Clippers
Keaton Wagler | 6-5 | 19 years old
Wagler is one of the more complete guard prospects I’ve evaluated in a while. He is a terrific bet to be a skilled dribble, pass and shoot player who can play both on and off the ball in an era when the NBA demands those skills from its perimeter players. He drills over 40 percent of his pull-up 3s and catch-and-shoot 3s, making him a serious floor-spacing threat. His vision is superb, and his handle is tight and slithery despite playing upright. He’s an elite decision-maker with an excellent feel for the game. This is the kind of player who thrives in today’s NBA, and he’s already played in an NBA-style scheme with NBA-level spacing at Illinois.
There aren’t many scenarios in which Wagler crashes out of the league and fails, because it’s hard to do so when you can shoot, pass and handle at this level. But to reach what I think is a serious chance at All-Star upside, Wagler needs to get stronger. He’s totally fearless on his drives and seems to have great basketball character. But he needs to get more physical to maintain the advantages he creates in ball screens and become a consistent on-ball threat. He’ll also need strength to defend more consistently than what he showed at Illinois this year. He knows where to be, but it’s going to take some time.
How Clippers fans reacted to the Keaton Wagler pick
Law Murray
This is the biggest surprise, pop-up one-and-done draft pick in the entire time I’ve been scouting. Wagler was elite this season at Illinois despite his lack of pedigree. He also led the No. 1 offense in the country. This is a potential All-Star guard if things break right with his physical development. He reminds me a lot of Austin Reaves stylistically, and he maybe even has more upside than that long-term.
Hollinger’s analysis: I liked Kingston Flemings the best of this point guard pile-up between the fifth and (roughly) 10th picks, but Wagler’s ability to play off the ball next to Darius Garland likely makes him a better fit for what the Clippers hope will be their backcourt of the future, and the margin between Wagler and Flemings was relatively small to me. Grade: B+
6. Brooklyn Nets
Mikel Brown Jr. | 6-4 | 20 years old
The pitch with Brown is simple. In today’s NBA, there might not be a more important intersection of skills than shooting and passing ability. Brown has those skills in a big way. He’s a monster 3-point shooter who hits them at volume, and he is a tremendous live-dribble passer who reads the court well and makes good decisions while also being able to separate in ball screens. With those two skills alone, it sets him up for a tremendous amount of success.
Brown needs to keep taking steps with his frame, however. On-ball players this skinny who have entered the NBA recently have struggled. The NBA is a man’s league. There’s no other way to put it. Brown is going to have to keep filling out now that he has grown to 6 feet 4. On one hand, I tend to be hard on smaller guards — and despite Brown’s height, he plays like a smaller guard. On the other hand, I tend to value skill, high IQ and shooting ability as much as anything. Brown possesses those skills in an immense quantity for such a young player.
He’s a polarizing prospect for scouts for a reason, and I go back and forth daily on what his future holds. Some days I see him as the best bet outside of the top five in the class, and other days, I’m not totally sure I see him as a winning NBA player.
Hollinger’s analysis: This feels like a bit of a reach, and the Nets’ recent draft history doesn’t inspire confidence that they know more than the wisdom of crowds on this one. Brown’s back issues at Louisville are also a concern, but the Nets have never shied away from a medical case and have frequently profited from this under Sean Marks. Grade: C+
7. Sacramento Kings
Darius Acuff Jr. | 6-2 | 19 years old
The conversation with Acuff is a difficult one. Undeniably, he’s going to be useful as an NBA player because he’s an excellent shot creator with physicality and the handle to separate from opponents. His shooting improved drastically this season, which allowed him to be efficient enough even despite his propensity for shots from the midrange. However, Acuff’s defense was quite poor, and the impact metrics overall back up the idea that his presence was often extremely harmful on that end of the court.
More than ever, smaller, ball-dominant guards are not seen as useful unless they are at the absolute apex of the league like Jalen Brunson. Acuff has a very narrow pathway toward success at the highest levels of the NBA. If you think he’s that good and has a lot of NBA All-Star equity, then you can reasonably have him in the lottery. But this profile feels like a better version of what Jeremiah Fears was last year, and the two are about the same age. Fears didn’t exactly show last season in New Orleans that he can be an impactful part of a winning team, with the Pelicans being one of the worst teams in the league and his presence tanking their lineup data when he’s on the court. We’ll see what happens with Acuff.
Hollinger’s analysis: I like Flemings better than Acuff, but Acuff has Damian Lillard-esque upside as an offensive player, and the Kings desperately need a guy like this at the controls, one who could potentially be a one-man offense if everything breaks right. I’d just like his odds of hitting better if it were any other organization that took him. Grade: B
8. Atlanta Hawks
Kingston Flemings | 6-3 | 19 years old
I want to love Flemings, and I think there is undeniably All-Star upside if his development goes right. The intel on Flemings as a human being is strong, and he seems to have a full understanding of what his role will be at the next level, as well as what he needs to work on. He was productive and efficient offensively in what was not an ideal circumstance for his skill set as a driver and athlete at Houston this season. He was rightfully named an All-American as a freshman while playing for Kelvin Sampson, one of the toughest coaches in the country on young players. If you give him more space to operate like he will receive in the NBA, there’s a chance that he will flourish.
The key for Flemings to reach that upside is to improve his gathers, get stronger through his lower half and become an even better shooter. I love his passing and decision-making, as he comes up with creative angles. I love his ability to get into the midrange, which will be an essential counter. But he will need a floater game and will need to keep improving his footwork as he learns to play with more consistent slow steps and Euro steps. Defensively, too, his size will be an impediment, but he has a good enough frame to improve and avoid being a negative on that end.
This is an easy profile of a player to fall in love with. I would bet on Flemings making an All-Star Game at some point and being the kind of point guard teammates love playing with.
Hollinger’s analysis: The temptation to take big man Aday Mara had to be alluring, but Flemings is clearly the right pick. I liked him the best of any point guard in this draft, and the Hawks had a clear need for a true point guard in the wake of Trae Young’s departure last season. A nice reward for the Hawks moving down 10 spots in the draft a year ago. Grade: A
This story will be updated.
